JUSUN Strike: Buhari Directs Ngige, Gambari, Others To Arrest Situation

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—As Labour Minister Plans To Meet Striking ASUP Next Week
—We Won’t Suspend The Strike Until We See Evidence Of FG’s
Seriousness – ASUP

President Muhammadu Buhari has directed his Chief of Staff, Prof
Ibrahim Gambari, the Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator
Chris Ngige and other relevant stakeholders to ensure that they
resolve the problem with the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria,
JUSUN so that the ongoing strike will be called off.

This is as the Labour and Employment Minister has presented the
demands of various unions that have embarked on strike to the
President for his intervention.

But, the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics, ASUP, led by its
President, Comrade Anderson Ezeibe has said that the ongoing strike
will not be called off until there is evidence of seriousness from
the federal government.

Briefing State House correspondents after meeting with President
Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, Senator Ngige
said he briefed the president on the industrial actions by various
unions in the country.

According to him, “I have to brief (the President) on the labour
industrial milieu in the country. You know that we are like in a
season of the strike.

“We have the strike baton by the resident doctors actively
supported by the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA). And we held
certain meetings at which we reached some agreements in a
conciliation.

“And I had to brief him ahead of the efforts we are making in
those areas like we agreed that the hazard allowance should be
reviewed. And as a matter of fact, before they embarked on the
strike, my ministry and the Presidential Committee on Salaries had
initiated what we can call a pre-emptive arrangement to make for
further discussion by all the stakeholders; Federal Ministry of
Health, Salary, Income and Wages Commission, the health unions, the
NMA that is leading National Association of Resident Doctors
(NARD), Association of Dental and Medical consultants, Association
of General Duty Doctors, and others, while JOHESU will lead Nurses
and Midwife Association, pharmacists, lab technologists, and other
people working in the health sector under the big umbrella of
Medical and Health Workers Union.

“So, that meeting has kick-started. And we know from our initial
meetings and the data we have, we have an idea of what amount of
money will be consumed or utilised to effect this change, which is
going to be a permanent change, unlike what we had last year when
we did a special COVID-19 allowance, which all of you know the
government budgeted N20 billion for.

“And when we started the payment, it gulped a whopping N32
billion. So, we are working now to make the health workers feel
that they are appreciated and that the efforts are appreciated by
the government.

“So, I have briefed him on that. We have some fallouts from the
ASUU discussion on the agreements reached then, a Memorandum of
Action so that we can meet up the timeline on certain things
promised. For example, the Revitalization Fund, which ASUU has
called my attention to that they have not been done for the
university system.

“So, we discussed it and necessary arrangements have to be made
now for us to pay that amount to the NEEDS Committee accounts with
the Central Bank.”

He said that he also discussed the issue of financial autonomy
for the judiciary and the legislature with the President.

According to him, “We reviewed what has been done. The Chief of
Staff did what we call in labour palance tripartite plus
arrangement by engaging them, both parties conceded; Nigeria
Governors’ Forum, NGF, the heads of courts, State judges, the
unions and the Presidential Implementation Committee for Executive
Order 10 led by the Attorney General, but standing in for him by
the Solicitor General of the Federation and Permanent
Secretary.

“So, we reviewed where they are. We had a twist two days ago
because the arrangement they had with the Chief of Staff had to be
altered when the governors got back to their forum.

“As the conciliator, when they presented the two papers, one
from the Solicitor General and another one from the
Director-General (DG) of the NGF, I had to tell them that we have
to reconcile those papers because the areas that they differ are
very fundamental areas in terms of the execution of Sections 83 and
162.

“We need the governors to touch this among themselves and come
back because, in consultation, I receive documents, issues from the
unions, and the NBA, and even the representative of the heads of
courts on one side, and then from these government people of NGF,
and the Solicitor General of the Federation representing Attorney
General.

“So, if the government papers are not on the same page, then the
discussion will be very difficult and fruitless. So, that is where
we are.

“As I finish from here, I’m going to do another meeting with the
Chief of Staff so that we can make a move. The President has
directed that we meet and study the situation so that we can advise
the government side on what is best for the situation.

“Nobody is happy that the courts are closed. There are grievous
implications for the country if suspects cannot be taken to court
for them to be remanded or put on bail.

“So, it is a very congruous situation for us. So, this is the
main issue I briefed the President on and some assignments. Others
are sundry issues that pertain to my ministry and parastatals which
I am already handling. I just have to report back to him where we
are. So, this is the situation and the purpose of my visit or
appointment.”

Asked on what government ad did to ensure that ASUP called the
ongoing strike, Senator Ngige, “On the Academic Staff Union of
Polytechnics (ASUP), as a matter of fact, by our mandate, we
apprehend and conciliate issues that have gone out of hand.

“Yes, this one has gone out of hand. At education, I plead with
us to give them some more time, and they have met with them
thereafter.

“I met with them two times since they proceeded on that strike.
So, I’m giving them up till this weekend, if they are not able to
resolve and agree to do an in-house agreement at education, then
we’ll be forced to, according to the mandate of the ministry, take
it over, call all of them together, education on one side and ASUP
on one side and resolve the matter because a lot of the issues
raised there from the letter written to us by ASUP are issues that
also apply to universities and the university union.

“Government has tackled a lot of them. The other ones that are
peculiar to the polytechnics like the appointment of rectors,
principal officers, and some other minor issues, which I think
education can be able to handle in-house.

“But by next week, if they’re not able to do so, we will have no
other choice than to apprehend and invite them to the table. And of
course, first, ask them to call off the strike.”

Meanwhile, ASUP leadership on Friday said that its National
Executive Council, NEC, has resolved to sustain the strike action
until the unresolved details in the offer made by the Federal
Government are sorted out.

Briefing journalists in Abuja on the update of the ongoing
strike, the National President of ASUP, Comrade Anderson Ezeibe
said that the union would soon meet to look at some of the offers
made by the government even though he said that the Union would
want to see evidence of seriousness from the government.

Ezeibe said, “Following the consideration of the offers as
presented, the NEC of our Union resolved to sustain the strike
action until the unresolved details in the offer are sorted out in
the meeting(s) expected in the coming days.

“NEC also resolved that Nasarawa, Benue, Abia, Edo and Kaduna
state governments should equally be encouraged to engage
representatives of the Union like the earlier referred states on
issues of owed salaries and non-implementation of promotions in
affected institutions.

“We want to equally seize this opportunity to appreciate the
coherent partnership with the media, the understanding and support
of our students as well as the Nigerian public within the period.
We appeal for the sustenance of same until this action is
concluded.”

Recall that ASUP commenced strike on 6th April 2021 over the
alleged sorry state of public Polytechnics, Monotechnics as well as
the entire subsector. The failure of the government to respond
appropriately to the series of letters written on the subject and
the expiration of the Union’s ultimatum issued since March 2020 as
well as the development of new issues of concern in the sector due
to the negligence of the government.

But ASUP boss said, “It is no longer news that our Union has
attended 2 out of 3 scheduled meetings with the government since
the declaration of the action.

“The meetings held on the 6th and 14th of April 2021. The
aborted meeting of the 15th of April was rescheduled for the 27th
of April 2021 on a tentative basis.

Immediate gains recorded within this period include the
reconstitution and inauguration of governing councils of ALL
Federal Polytechnics in the country (dissolved since May 2020)
thereby completing the governance structures of the institutions as
captured by the law.

“The value addition is that stalled staff appraisal processes
can now be concluded, principal officers can also be appointed, the
Union’s renegotiation processes with the government can now be
re-started and concluded, as well as other duties ascribed to
councils by Law can now be performed thereby concluding the
emergence of a new legal regime for all Federal Polytechnics.

“In the same vein, the visitation panels are now empowered to
perform their duties having been inaugurated within the period as
well, while a substantive Executive Secretary has been appointed
for the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE).

” On the other items, our Union received offers from the
Government during the meetings for the release of an infrastructure
revitalization fund of N15bn for the sector; The release of owed 10
months arrears of the new minimum wage within a yet to be
determined period; The reconstitution of the Renegotiation
Committee of the agreement between our Union and the government
since 2010 and conclusion of the renegotiation process;

“The conclusion of the review process and release of the Scheme
of Service and Conditions of Service for the sector which has been
undergoing review since 2017; The review of the normative
instruments for institutional and programmes accreditation to
include minimum qualifications for appointment of principal
officers in the sector, implementation of the approved 65 years
retirement age for the sector, implementation of the approved
salary structure for the sector, deployment of the full governance
structures in all institutions in the sector, etc;

“The conclusion of ongoing moves to ensure the recall of
victimized officers of our Union; The constitution of an
Interministerial Committee to resolve all contending issues against
the release of CONTISS 15 migration arrears for the lower cadre;
The involvement of the Federal Ministry of Education in resolving
issues around the implementation of IPPIS in the sector, the
contentious letter on tax liabilities from the Office of the
Accountant General of the Federation and release of promotion
arrears in the sector;

“The submission of a brief by the Union on the establishment of
the National Commission for Polytechnics; The submission of a brief
on the moves by the Agricultural Registration Council of Nigeria to
force our members out of the Union.

“The NEC was also updated on ongoing discussions with the
governments of Osun, Kano, Ogun and Katsina with our Union’s
representatives on issues of the strike.

” These offers include the restoration of the Rapid Response
Committee between the Union and the Federal Ministry of Education
to serve as a monitoring and evaluation vehicle on the issues as
well as resolve any emergent issue of industrial dispute in the
sector.”